Method of forming flexible joints in belting



May 13, 1952 B. Toccl-GUILBERT 2,596,513

` METHOD. FORMING FLEXIBLE JOINTS IN BELTING Filed Aug. 19, 1948 45 Ffa.' a. 4,;

zz` AZZ .\12 40 Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF'FORMING FLEXIBLE J OINT'S- IN BELTING` BerneLTccci-Guilbert, San Francisco,` Calif;

Application August-19, 19485 `SeriallNo.` 45,0711

(Cl..1.54"11.6),v

xClaims; 1

This invention relates to flexible points and particularly to thosel joints which are used for the purpose of joining together or connecting the ends of belting, particularly round and V belts of rubber, leather, rope and the like.

Although many diiferent methods of power transmission are in use today, the belt method is still byi far the most common and satisfactory for many applications. Various styles of belts and.` improvements-therein have been utilized in attempts toovercome some ofthe disadvantages ofthe original iiat type of belt. Since the efciency of power transmission is` the most importantfactor, continuous efforts have been made to overcome the limitations inherent in the hat type of belt with the view of increasing the trac tion of the belt on its pulleys. Thus the V belt and the round belt have been developed to increase the surface exposed to the pulleys and to provide improved frictional engagement with the coacting surface of thebelt.

The V belt is widely and extensively used, but must be' frequently replaced in service because of the excessive and uneven belt wear Whichis caused bythe concentration of frictional forces and pressures at the bottom of the pulleys. The roundbelts possess most of the advantages of the V belt andin addition to providing more traction surface in contact with the pulleys, they distributey the wearmore evenly because of the ability of'round belts torotateaxially while driving the pulleys;

One of; the major difiiculties encountered. with all belts and with round belts in particular, occurswhen attempting to join the free endsof the belt together in away which insures constant tension and at the same time offers a smooth bearing` surface similar in size and character.- istics to the belt itself. The constructions heretofore employed in joining together the ends of roundbelts; do not providefthese desirable results, and as a consequence round belts have not been extensively` utilized.,

Afurther`r disadvantage of conventional methods, and means of'splicingV or joining the ends of belts resultsfrom the, length ofl time required to effect the juncture,A as Well as the necessityof providing the special tools andskills which conventional joinder methods require. In most applications it is; desirable to mend a brokenbelt or install a new one without theaid 0f a Workman who is particularly skilled in this type of Work and without the use of special tools or the` expenditure of. an undue amount of time.

Gonventional1y,joinder ci round beltsis made by theiuseof metalcouplings whichare notfiiex-` ible-.and which grasp` the beltin sucha Way that When it once begins to slip, the belt givesgway all at once. Furthermore, such couplings frequently possess. an outside texture which is unlike the texture of the belt itself, and such` conventional belt couplings are not entirely satisfactory for general use because they do not flext readily and bend to adapt themselves to the shape off the pulley;

An important object.ptherefore, of theV present invention is to` provide a connecting` or joining means for round and` V belts, rope' and the lille which corresponds as: nearly aspossible in both section and texture to the belt itself which at the Sametime is capable of joining the ends thereof, in a flexible and unvarying` relationship.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means of joining the broken` or free ends of belts, etc. that can be readily employed by a Workman of no more than ordinary skill and by utilizing only ordinary tools and4 repair materials.

It is another object. of this invention to provide a coupling or joint for belts which is iiexibleand which will run over the pulleys in the same fashion andwith the same effect as the` belt,` itself.

Further objects are to providea construction of maximum simplicity, economy and easeof a5- sembly and disassembly and such further4 objects, advantages and4 capabilities` as will later appear and as'are inherentlypossessed by--thedevice and invention described herein.

The invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangementr of parts; iljlustrated in the accompanying drawings and While there isshown. therein` a preferredV embodir ment and one variant thereof, it is to beunderstood that the same, are illustrative of the invention and that the inventionis capable of modiiication and change and comprehends other details of constructionxwithout departing from the spirit thereotor thescop'exof the appendedclaims.`

Referring to the drawingsz.

Figure 1 is anlelevational viewof thecoupling installed on a: reund belt before thenormaltension and* position of thel belt is assumed with part of the coupling shown in section.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of thecoupling of Figure 1 installed` on a round belt and; in` its normal position.

Figure 3 is a perspectiveivievv partially in section, showing the method of, installation of the coupling1 of Figure l.

assume Figure 4 is an elevational cross-sectional View' of the coupling installed on a rope belt or other round belt of small diameter. Y

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the coupling of Figure 4 constricted in place and ready for use.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views, there is shown generally at IB a belt having two ends Il and II properly squared on' and inserted within the coupling Il.v so as to abut the oppositely disposed surfaces of the disk i3. The coupling or joint I2 is composed of a tublular flexible braided or woven material, preferably of metal, having an external diameter approximately the same as the normal diameter of the belt il), the ends of which are to be joined. The coupling I2 is as thick as necessary to give suiiicient strength, but is kept as thin as possible in order to minimize the extent to which the belt ends Il and II must be pared down to accommodate the thickness of coupling I2. As is best illustrated 4in Figure 3, the belt ends il and il may be out down to form a shoulder i5 and cylindrical end portions I and I6 which permit the coupling I2 to surround these end portions and still not enlarge the resulting diameter substantially beyond that of the belt I il.

The disk i3 is composed of neoprene or other thermoplastic resinous material adapted to fuse with the extremities of the belt ends il and il under the action of heat. Thus, the cohesive action between the respective belt ends il and li through the fusion of disk i3, and the adhesive action of the rubber cement i8 which is applied to the surfaces of the pared ends l and i5' of the belt lil, combined with theconstrictive action of the braided or Woven coup-ling I2, securely hold the belt ends and form a firm continuous juncture which will withstand tension greater than that of the belt it.

The tubular coupling or joint l2 being woven, permits penetration of the rubber cement i8 therethrough to its outer surface, thereby forming a locking bond with the ends IS and it', while at the same time creating a texture on the exterior surface of the coupling i2 which coacts with the surface of the pulleys so as to increase the frictional engagement of the joined portions to approximate that of the belt iii. The individual woven members or flat strands 2i of the coupling l2 are composed of a series of braided wires, so Woven that in the normal position the strands 2i are substanially on a 90 degree bias.

Elongaton of the woven tubular coupling l2 constricts its diameter substantially throughout its entire length, and any shortening in the normal length thereof tends to expand the diameter substantially at the center portion of the coupling i2, as shown in Figures 1 and 4.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the use of the coupling I2' on a belt It or" the rope or the like, when the diameter is so small that the paring down of the belt ends ll and II to accommodate the coupling I2 is not desirable or where the diameter is large enough so that a slight increase in diameter will not be detrimental. The coupling I2 employed in Figure 5 creates a shoulder Il where it ends on the outer surface of the belt IS. Such a shoulder il may have undesirable results in operation when it passes over the pulleys. Further, in order to insure that fraying I2' will not be caused during the operation of the I0', the sleeve 2i! with tapered ends I9 is ein-"- ployed to graduate the diameter of the belt IU' to the diameter of the coupling I2. This sleeve 2i) may be crimped or otherwise secured firmly in position.l Alternately the tapered sleeve 20 may be formed of an adhesive or other flexible cementitious material which hardens without becoming brittle, into a graduated or tapered Ysleeve as shown.

Operation In operation the ends Il and II of the round belt Ill, for example, are first pared down to form the end portions I6 and I6' so that the combined diameter of the end portions I6 and I6 and the coupling I2 closely approximates the normal diameter of the belt Iil. A length of tubular woven material of sufficient length to abut the shoulders Il at both of its free ends when in normal position, is out to form the coupling I2. The belt ends II and II are both cut olf at right angles to the axis of the belt it so that they will properly abut with the disk I3 When the pared ends IS and Iii of the belt iii are inserted into the coupling l2. The prepared surfaces I6 and I6 on both belt ends I I and I I are then coated with a layer of rubber cement Ill or other suitable adhesive or resinous material, and inserted, with,

the disk IS, into the coupling l2 With opposing longitudinal pressure, thereby causing the coupling i2 to increase in diameter at its central portion and decrease in length. At the same time and under the same pressure, the endsV II and i I tend to spread within the coupling I2.

When the belt ends II and I I' both abut With the disk I3 within the coupling l2 under pressure so that the ends tend to spread in the expanded portion of the coupling, the pressure is released and the coupling I2 allowed to return to its normal length, thereby forming a squeezing or gripping engagement with the coacting surfaces I6 and I5' of the belt ends II and II. Since these surfaces It and I6 are coated with rubber cement ES or other material, and since the woven coupling I2 is permeable, the rubber cement I3 is squeezed, penetrates between the strands and dries on the outer surface thereof to form a iieXible coating 22, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. Due to the action of the woven coupling, any increase in the tension on the belt I0 tending to separate the ends I I and Il thereof Will tend to elongate the coupling i2 thereby increasing its gripping power and producing a tighter engagement with the coacting surfaces IG and It.

To further secure the belt ends II and II together, heat may be applied by means such as an infra-red lamp to the juncture, thereby causing the disk i3 toV melt and fuse with the belt ends II and II.

In the modied form of construction illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, no pared surfaces I8 are required and after the joinder of the ends Il and II' has been made with the coupling I2' a tapered sleeve 2li of metal or a suitable plastic or rubber-like material is applied to each end of the coupling I2' to form a graduated tapered connection with the adjacent belt I.

The proportions and shapes have been exaggerated to make the explanation more clearly understood, but it is apparent that the alternate form of juncture illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 does not in fact add appreciably to the diameter.

The juncture of V belts is accomplished in the same way, using tubular woven coupling members, preferably of metal because the coupling may be shaped by attening appropriate reas to conform with the shape of the particular type of V belting.

I claim:

1. A method oi' joining the ends of round belting having end portions adapted to be joined by a Woven constrictable sleeve, the steps of cutting down the diameter of the abutting ends to accommodate the thickness of the sleeve, applying an adhesive coating to the said end portions to be joined, inserting the said adhesively coated end portions in the said sleeve with a fusible disk therebetween, and applying heat to fuse each of the said abutting end portions to the said disk:e

2. A method of exibly joining the ends of V belting having end portions adapted to be joined by a flexible constrictable sleeve, the steps of applying an adhesive coating to each of the said end portions to be joined, inserting the said adhesively coated end portions into the said sleeve with a fusible member between the abutting ends thereof, applying heat to fuse the said end portions to the said fusible member, and securing the ends of the said sleeve to the portions of the said belt immediately adjacent thereto, to form a fiexible unitary juncture of substantially the same cross section as the V belting.

3. The method of joining round belting comprising the steps of preparing the ends to be joined, coating said portions with an adhesive material, inserting the ends into a tubular woven coupling member under opposing longitudinal pressure expanding the central portion of said member, and releasing said pressure to squeeze some of said adhesive material between the woven strands 0f the coupling member, forming a iexible exterior coating and restoring the normal position of said coupling member with a gripping action on said ends.

4. The method of joining belting comprising the steps of preparing the ends to be joined, coating said portions with a plastic material, inserting the ends into a tubular woven coupling member under opposing longitudinal pressure, expanding the central portion of said member,

releasing said pressure to squeeze some of said plastic material between the woven strands of the coupling member, returning said coupling member to its normal position, with a gripping acticn on said ends and securing the ends of said coupling member to the adjacent belting in a tapering manner.

5. The method oi joining round belting comprising the steps of preparing the ends to `be joined by reducing their section sufficient to accommodate the thickness of a coupling member, coating said reduced end portions with a plastic material, inserting the prepared ends into a tubular woven co-upling member with opposing longitudinal pressure, expanding the central portion of said member until said ends abut and tend to spread, releasing said pressure to squeeze some of said plastic material between the Woven strands of the said coupling member to form a flexible coating on the exterior surface thereof, and returning said coupling member to its normal size with a gripping action on said ends to form a continuous joint of substantially the same section as said belting.

BERNE TOCCLGUILBERT:

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le or" this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS 

